Scoping
report
The Stats and the Stories
Raetihi
Ohākune
Mai ara rā! Mai ara rā!
Mai ara rā te Tupua!
Mai ara rā te Tawhito!
Tēnei au te rangahau ana, ki te ao, ki te pō
Waiouru
Ki ā Ranginui e tū iho nei,
Ki ā Papatuānuku e takoto ake nei.
Mai ara rā, mai whea rā tōku ahunga mai?
Tāhuri whakataumaha, huri whakamāmā
E te Kāhui Maunga ko wai ra koe?
Inā, Matua Te Mana te aunahi pīataata mātahi
Pikimai Rawea te kai-kukume ake matua whenua rō wai
Te rongo nei ia hīhī,
Te rongo nei ia hāhā me huka tātairango.
Tina, tina toko te manawa ora, he manawa ora!
Ko te Roi-a-Rangi mō Rua-te-Tipua
Ko te Roi-a-Rangi nō Nukuhau e
Te pātukituki ka tū whakahirahira Kāhui Maunga mā.
Ko toka pokohiwi ka hora maru tapu, e Ngā Turi-o-Murimotu
Te ahi kā o Paerangi i te Whare Toka
Te puta mai te Kāhui-o-Rangi, te Kāhui-a-Rua
Tōna hekenga mai i Te Wai-ā-Moe ki Paretetaitonga
Ko te ara hekenga, ko te ara hokinga mō ngā uri kōtuku
Ka tuku, ka tuku atu i ngā hau kaha ia Parakakariki, ia Mouwhakaarahia
Hei tohu, hei whakaatu ki te ao!
Whiti, whano, hara mai te toki!
Haumia! Hui e! Taiki e!
Let us return to our origins!
Returning to the time prior to common knowledge
Returning to the time of the ancient knowledge
Searching, understanding the evolution of life
Absorbing the force of Father Universe
Absorbing the energy of Mother Earth
To truly understand who I am
Internalising this learning…
I now know who I am.
I am the first shiny scale of the Great Fish
I am the energy that turned the Fish to Land
Warmth embraced, cold embraced, I am the blanket of snow
I am the pulse of the Great Fish
I am the tears of the heavens for Rua-te-Tipua
I am the tears of the heavens from Nukuhau
Divine connection, I embody the Mountain Clan
Anointed as custodian of life, as window to the spirit world
I am Ngā Turi o Murimotu.
The fire from the House of Stone of Paerangi, I am
The genesis of the Sky Clan, I am
The genesis of the River Clan, I am
Emanating from out of Te Wai-ā-Moe
The alpha, I am. The omega, I am
The upper winds, I am
The lower winds, I am
This is my declaration!
A declaration sanctified by stone
Let us unite as one, unite in conscious thought!
Contents
Mihi
Executive Summary
2
Purpose Statement
3
Demographics
4
Education
8
Employment
18
Housing
24
Health
28
Social
32
Conclusion 39
This invocation reminds us of the majesty and brilliance that created the piece of paradise that is Raetihi,
Ohākune and Waiouru. This report provides the statistics related to the stark reality of our community and the
accompanying plan utilizes these statistics, the associated stories and local solutions to repaint the canvass that
makes Raetihi, Ohākune and Waiouru our slice of heaven.
Ngāti Rangi Trust wish to acknowledge and thank Te Puni Kōkiri for their support and guidance to the Ruapehu Whānanu Transformation project, this Scoping Report and the subsequent Plan.
Disclaimer: In compiling this data and information the Ruapehu Whānau Transformation project team has relied on information supplied from many external sources. The information is supplied
in this report on the basis that while Ngāti Rangi Trust and the Ruapehu Whānau Transformation project team believes that all the information in this report is correct at the time of publication,
it can not guarantee the accuracy of the information. It is recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of any data, and that the original source of the data be contacted with any
questions regarding its appropriate use. If you find any errors or omissions, we encourage you to contact the Ruapehu Whānau Transformation project team through the Ngāti Rangi Trust office.
1
Executive Summary
This report provides the evidence base upon which the 'Solutions' in the Ruapehu Whānau
Transformation Plan derive.
Relevant and timely data has been difficult to collect, however based on the available 'Stats' and
supplemented by the community 'Stories' the resulting information has suggested the following
opportunities for positive transformation across the five key focus areas of Education, Employment,
Housing, Health & Social.
The following table summarises these opportunities and provides measures to monitor progress over time.
2
Opportunities
Measures
Education
1. Increase numeracy & literacy attainment
2. Increase school leavers attaining NCEA Level 2 or above
• National standards attainment
• NCEA attainment levels
Employment
1. Connect local jobs & local workers
2. Local workforce has the right capacity
• Unemployment data
• Highest qualification data
• Local vacancies filled by local workers
Housing
1. Increase available houses to rent
2. Increase the % of healthy homes
• Unoccupied and occupied homes
• Housing Tenure & Landlord information
• Quality of Housing stock
Health
1. Increase availability & access to local services
2. Collaborate across service providers
• Number, type & hours of locally based services
• Engagement by Whānau with service providers
• Whānau satisfaction with health provision
Social
1. Stronger Whānau
2. Connected, cohesive, collaborating communities
• Benefits numbers (including type) over time
• Recorded crime offences (by district and communities)
over time
• Opportunities for community celebration
• Whānau Engagement in social activities
Purpose Statement
In September 2011 Ngāti Rangi held an iwi Rangatakapu ‘Think
Tank’ inviting 20-40 year olds home for a weekend to reconnect,
hear about the challenges and opportunities facing the iwi and
brainstorm ideas for iwi and rohe development.
Some high level statistics gathered at the time showed that our
people were not necessarily in a good state and if we didn’t do
something to change the situation this trend would continue to get
worse.
Two main hypotheses came out of the ‘Think Tank’:
1 - Our area is under resourced by government
2 - Employment is the long term solution
A working group was formed and devised a project to identify
areas for positive transformation. The main idea was to collect a
robust evidence base, compliment the quantitative evidence with
our community stories – to give life to the numbers – and use this
information to identify community driven initiatives and pathways
for transformation. Thus, the Ruapehu Whānau Transformation
projects guiding expression was created - Stats, Stories, Solutions.
This report provides a range of information across five key focus
areas of Education, Employment, Housing, Health and Social, for the
Ruapehu Rohe – defined as the communities of Raetihi, Ohākune
and Waiouru.
This report is about all families and whānau who live in the Ruapehu
Rohe .
Methodology
The methodology we have followed for the gathering of data and
information to provide a robust evidence base was to:
• Undertake an environmental scan within each focus area, based
on the most recent data available, to identify key issues in each area
• Provide that information to a ‘Community Reference Group’
(containing representatives from different sectors of the three
communities of the Ruapehu Rohe) to validate and enhance with
stories
• Meet with different individuals within the communities to further
validate the key issues and add context to numbers
It is worth noting that relevant and timely data has been difficult
to collect. There was very limited data sources that could provide
up to date information, particularly at the geographical level we
required. Many official information sources were reluctant to supply
information in a timely manner. We therefore lodged 13 Official
Information Act requests across 19 different Ministerial portfolios.
Despite this there are still gaps in the information (in particular in
the Health and Social areas) and therefore limitations to the analysis.
We have also had to rely heavily on 2006 Census data, given the
postponement of the 2011 Census. As a result the statistics may not
necessarily reflect economic changes that have occurred since 2008,
especially for Māori.
3
Demographics
–
OhAkune
4
Raetihi
Pop: 1,035
Median Age: 29 years
Median Income: $19,100
Māori Pop: 58%
–
OhAkune
Pop: 1,101
Median Age: 35 years
Median Income: $24,700
Māori Pop: 37%
Waiouru
Pop: 1,380
Median Age: 25 years
Median Income: $29,900
Māori Pop: 42%
The Ruapehu Whānau Transformation project is focused on the
Ruapehu Rohe comprising of Raetihi, Ohākune and Waiouru
communities. This differs from the Ruapehu District (the territorial
authority), which covers a wider geographical area. Where possible
we use Ruapehu District and Ruapehu Rohe information.
In 20061, the Ruapehu District had a population of 13,572. The
Ruapehu Rohe had a combined population of 3,519 - Waiouru
having a population of 1,380, Ohākune 1,101 and Raetihi 1,035.
The Ruapehu District population was estimated to decrease slightly
in 2011 to 13,400 and is projected to decline further to 10,3502 in
2031. The population of the Ruapehu Rohe communities are also
projected to follow a declining trend over the same time period (see
Table 1). One of the main contributors to this being migration of the
younger (more fertile) age groups.
Table 1: Total Population 2006–2031
2006
2011
2031
Waiouru
1,380
1,270
1,390
Ohākune
1,101
1,080
850
Raetihi
1,035
1,030
800
Ruapehu Rohe
3,516
3,380
3,040
Ruapehu District
13,572
13,400
10,350
Source: Statistics New Zealand
5
1
All the demographic information is from QuickStats About a Place, 2006 Census, unless
otherwise stated. 2013 Census results were not available at this stage.
2
Statistics New Zealand 2012 Population Projections
The ethnic3 make-up of the Ruapehu District is predominately
European (62.9%) and Māori (39.2%). There is also a small Asian
(2.1%) and Pacific (2.2%) population.
In the three communities of the Ruapehu Rohe the ethnic make-up
is similar. Waiouru had 60% European, 42% Māori, 5% Pacific and
3% Asian. Ohākune had 65% European, 37% Māori, 3% Pacific and
6% Asian. Raetihi differed slightly with a higher proportion of the
population being Māori compared to any other ethnic group (50%
European, 58% Māori, 1% Pacific, 1% Asian).
One in four (or 25% of) people in the Ruapehu District were under
15 years in 2006. This was slightly higher than the New Zealand
population (21.5%). Waiouru and Ohākune had similar proportions
of under 15 year olds to the District (23.3% and 22.9% respectively).
Whereas in Raetihi just under 30% (29.3%) of the communities were
under 15 year olds.
6
Whilst New Zealand as a country is ageing, the Ruapehu District and
the communities of the Ruapehu Rohe have lower proportions of
older people. Ruapehu District had 10.6% of people aged over 65
years, this compares with 12.3% nationally. In Waiouru only 1.3%
were aged over 65 years , Ohākune had 8.7% and Raetihi 9.6% of
people aged over 65 years.
With a higher proportion of Māori in the Rohe, and the younger age
structure of Māori compared with non-Māori, it is to be expected
that the Rohe has a younger population. This is also reflected in the
median ages (see Table 2). Although over time, as with the national
trend, the population will age.
3
People were able to affiliate to more than one ethnic group, therefore percentages may not
add up to 100.
Ruapehu Rohe - Ethnicity (2006)
Asian
Pacific
Māori
European
0
0.1
Ohakune
0.2
0.3
Raetihi
0.4
0.5
0.6
Waiōuru
Table 2: Median Age (years) for Total Population 2006 – 2031
2006
2011
2031
Waiouru
25
24
26
Ohākune
35
38
49
Raetihi
29
29
39
Ruapehu District
35
36
42
Source: Statistics New Zealand
0.7
Nationally, Māori make up 14.6% of the population, in the
Ruapehu District this is much higher with nearly 40% of the
population being Māori.
% of Māori by Age in the Ruapehu District
In 2006, over half (53%) of Māori in the Ruapehu District were
under the age of 25. This reflects the changing demographics
of the nation but in higher proportions than most other areas in
New Zealand.
40%
Of the households with families in Waiouru, just over half (53%)
of them were families of couples with children. Couples without
children were 32% of the families and 16% of families were single
parents with children.
Ohākune had 40% of families of couples with children, 40% of
couples without children and 20% of single parents with children.
While Raetihi had 45% of families of couples with children, it had
a lower proportion of families of couples without children (28%)
and a slightly higher proportion of single parent with children
families than the other communities (26%).
4
Family as defined by the presence, in one household, of a ‘family nucleus’ e.g. a couple with or
without child(ren), or single parents with child(ren)
30%
20%
10%
80–84 years
70–74 years
75–79 years
60–64 years
65–69 years
55–59 years
50–54 years
45–49 years
40–44 years
35–39 years
30–34 years
25–29 years
20–24 years
15–19 years
10–14 years
0–4 years
0%
85 years and over
In the Ruapehu District in 2006, families4 of couples with children
made up 42% of all the families in the district. Couples without
children made up 38% of all the families. A further 20% of
families in the district were single parent with children families.
50%
5–9 years
In the older age groups, over 65 years of age, Māori make up a
smaller proportion of the Ruapehu District, with only 18% of the
retirement age population being Māori.
60%
7
Education
Across the Ruapehu Rohe (Raetihi, Ohākune and Waiouru) there are 7
Early Childhood Education (ECE) providers.
As at the year ending March 2012, Ruapehu Rohe had a prior
participation rate (the proportion of new entrants who have
participated in ECE before starting school) in ECE of 97.1%5 . This
was a higher rate of participation than New Zealand (94.7%).
8
Māori participation rates, in the Ruapehu Rohe, were up at 98%.
This was higher than the national Māori participation rate of 90.3%.
Pākehā participation rate in the Ruapehu Rohe was 96.2%, which
is below the national rate of 97.9%. Relative to New Zealand, ECE
participation in the Ruapehu Rohe is strong.
There are eight primary schools in the Ruapehu Rohe.
“ECE is about taking risks and quality early childhood education
is not just about reading and writing” – Ruapehu Rohe ECE
representative, October 2012
5
Prior Participation in Early Childhood Education by new entrants in Ruapehu Rohe primary
schools, Ministry of Education 2012
Table 3: Ruapehu Rohe ECE providers, 2013
Table 4: Ruapehu Rohe Primary Schools, 2012
Ruapehu Rohe Early Childhood Education Establishments
Waiouru
Raetihi
Ohākune
Waiouru
Kindergarten
Ngā Mōrehu o
UenukuTe Kōhanga
Reo
Te Kōhanga Reo o
Manu Korero
Mo te Whānau Te
Kōhanga Reo
Te Aroha Te
Kōhanga Reo
Nancy Winter Early
Childhood Centre
Ohākune
Kindergarten
Total Roll
(as at 1 July
2012)
Decile6
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Rangi
26
1
Mataroa
38
5
Ngamatea School
6
6
Ohākune School
238
5
Ōrautoha School
16
6
Raetihi Primary School
116
1
Rangiwaea School
12
6
Waiouru School
85
8
School
7
A school’s decile rating indicates the extent to which it draws its students from low socialeconomic communities. Decile 1 schools are the 10% of schools with the highest proportion
of students from low social economic communities. The lower the decile rating, the lower the
socio-economic community that the school draws its students from.
6
Mataroa is not in the Ruapehu Rohe, its community of interest is Taihape, but is included
because it is in the Ngati Rangi tribal area.
7
9
In 2012, the 8 primary schools located within the Ruapehu Rohe
had a combined role of 537 tamariki. All 8 primaries are full primary,
catering for Year 1 – Year 8 students.
Nationally Māori make up 23% of the schooling population. Across
the primary schools in the Ruapehu Rohe just over half (53% or 287)
of the students were Māori and 47% (250) were non-Māori. Some
individual schools have very high proportions of Māori (Orautoha
88%, Raetihi 87% and the Kura Kaupapa 100%).
Ruapehu College is the only secondary school located in the
Ruapehu Rohe. In 2012, the College (which caters for Year 9 to Year
15) had a roll of 172 students. Nearly three quarters (71%) of the
students at the College were Māori. This is a much higher proportion
than the national percentage of 23%.
10
Information provided by the Ministry of Education for the 2010 year
showed that the College had higher proportions of Māori students
in the younger year groups. This is illustrative of the younger age
structure of the Māori population and indicative of the changing
demographics of the area.
A growing concern in the community is the number of students
who get sent away to schools outside of the region for their
secondary schooling. The concern stems from a perceived ‘white
flight’, and also threatens to segregate the community into the
haves and have nots, where only those with higher incomes can
afford to send their children away to boarding school.
– Community Reference Group, October 2012
“Those that can, go. Those that can’t, stay.”
– Community Reference Group member, October 2012
When whānau were asked about reasons for not sending your
child to the local secondary school there was also a perception
that a rural secondary school lacked the same opportunities as
the secondary schools in the city.
– Ngāti Rangi Trust Education survey 2012
“Schools (rural) are marginalised in what they can offer children”.
– Community Reference Group member, October 2012
Table 5: Ruapehu College Māori student population,
2010
Year Group
Proportion of Māori students
per year group
Year 9
84%
Year 10
76%
Year 11
70%
Year 12
68%
Year 13
56%
Achievement/Attainment
Primary
End of year 2011 National Standards data 8, published by Ministry of
Education, for the primary schools in the Ruapehu Rohe show poor
numeracy and literacy levels compared to the National Standard.
were ‘Well below or Below’ the standard (Raetihi with 70.6% of male
students and Waiouru 63.2%).
Ethnic breakdown (again only the schools with the bigger numbers
could provide more detailed breakdowns of the data) across the
three bigger primary schools of Raetihi, Ohākune and Waiouru
shows significant proportions of Māori are “Well below or Below” the
achievement level.
Numeracy
•
Raetihi 70% of Māori are Well Below or Below
Numeracy levels vary across the primary schools with half of the
schools having over 50% of their students at “Well below or Below”
their age level for Numeracy (or Mathematics).
•
Ohākune 20%
•
Waiouru 61%
•
Raetihi 65.3% of students were below or well below their age level
•
Ōrautoha 50%
•
Waiouru 53%
The majority of students at the following were “At” their age level.
•
Ohākune 62.2%
•
Mataroa 61%
•
Rangiwaea 52%
There were small proportions of students achieving ‘Above’ their age
level for all the schools. The highest rates were at Rangiwaea, Ohākune
and Mataroa (28%, 25.3% and 24% respectively).
Schools with bigger numbers were able to supply further
breakdowns of data (by gender and some by ethnicity also). In
Raetihi and Waiouru primary schools, high proportions of the boys
8
Caution should be taken when looking at this data as the methodology used by each school
to measure these standards differs. Also because of small numbers in some schools the
proportions can be misleading. There was no data available at all for two schools (Ngamatea
and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Ngati Rangi) and limited data for others (there were no results
for ‘Writing’ for Ohākune and Orautoha primaries).
11
Literacy – Reading
Reading levels across the schools showed significant proportions
of students were ‘Well below or below’ the standard.
12
Table 6: Proportion of All students, by gender, ‘Well
below or Below’ Literacy (Reading) standards, 2011
Male students
Female students
Raetihi
73%
60%
Waiouru 40%
Waiouru
55%
22%
•
Ohākune 30%
Ohākune
38%
23%
•
Mataroa 24%
Mataroa
31%
20%
•
Rangiwaea 16%
Rangiwaea
17%
15%
•
Raetihi 67.5% were ‘Well below or Below’
•
Ōrautoha 50%
•
Mataroa primary was the only school with more than half (59%)
of the students ‘At’ the level of the National standard. Ohākune,
Rangiwaea and Waiouru also had significant proportions achieving
the standard ‘At’ the level (with 48%, 44% and 37% respectively).
Rangiwaea had 40% of its students achieve ‘above’ the standard.
The other schools all had students achieving ‘above’ the level,
although in slightly lower proportions (Ōrautoha 25%, Waiouru
23%, Ohākune 22%, Mataroa 17% and Raetihi 14%).
% of Māori students achievement of Literacy
(Reading) National standards, 2011
Ohākune
Raetihi
Gender breakdown across the schools with data shows that male
students are more likely to be ‘Well Below or Below’ than female
students.
Ethnic breakdown (for the three largest primary schools) shows
high proportions of Māori are ‘Well below or below’ the standard,
particularly in Raetihi9. Ohākune and Waiouru had considerable
proportions of Māori students achieving ‘At’ the standard.
Well below
Raetihi community reference group members noted that there has been positive
initiatives iplemented to address all National Standards attainment levels at Raetihi
Primary School.
9
At
Above
Waiouru
Literacy–Writing
Only four of the eight primary schools had data for National
Standards pertaining to ‘Writing’. Of the schools that were able
to supply data Raetihi had 71% and Waiouru 70% of the students
‘Well below or below’ the standard. Rangiwaea and Mataroa had
32% and 31% (respectively) ‘Well below or below’.
Mataroa and Rangiwaea schools had around 3 out of 5
tamariki meeting the standard for ‘Writing’ (with 59% and 60%
respectively). There were also small proportions at each school
who were ‘Above’ the standard.
Literacy (Writing), 2011
Mataroa
31%
Rangiwaea
32%
10%
60%
8%
Waiouru
70%
27%
3%
Raetihi
71%
27%
2%
0%
10%
20%
30% 40%
50%
At
Well below
Gender breakdown across the schools shows a similar trend of
males being more likely to be ‘Well Below or Below’ the standard
compared with females students.
Ethnic breakdown for Writing was only possible by the bigger
Raetihi and Waiouru schools. Both had similar achievement rates
(proportionately) by their Māori students. A high percentage (74%)
of Māori students were ‘Well below or below’ the National standard.
23% of Māori students achieving ‘At’ the standard and 3% of Māori
students achieving ‘Above’ the standard (which equates to 1
student at Waiouru and 2 students at Raetihi).
59%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Above
Table 7: Proportion of All students, by gender,
‘Well below or Below’ Literacy (Writing) National
standards, 2011
Male students
Female students
Raetihi
75%
66%
Waiouru
82%
56%
Mataroa
38%
28%
Rangiwaea
33%
30%
13
“[The] amount of our people 40+ age who can’t read and write,
you would be surprised”
– Community Reference Group member, December 2012
The low numeracy and literacy levels was a concern to major
employers in the area with one stating that when you are
cutting materials and you can’t tell the difference between
centimetres (cm) and millimetres (mm), it can be very costly to
the organisation.
– Major Employer, March 2013
“It feels as though we don’t value reading. As a community we
need to value reading”
– Community Reference Group member, February 2013
14
Raetihi members in the Community Reference Group noted
that there had been some positive initiatives implemented
recently to address attainment of standards at Raetihi Primary
School. – Community Reference Group Hui, Febraury 2013
Secondary
Table 8: Highest Attainment of school leavers 2011
The latest data provided by the Ministry of Education shows in 2011
the highest attainment of school leavers from Ruapehu College (the
only secondary school in the Ruapehu Rohe) was low compared to
overall New Zealand attainment levels.
Just over half (54.8%) of students left with NCEA Level 2 or above
in 2011, which means just under half (45.2%) left with less than
this. And over three quarters (76.2%) of students left with less than
University Entrance or above.
The Ministry of Education considers that NCEA Level 2 gives people
the foundation level skills to continue on to further education, to
progress in working life, to achieve better health outcomes and to
have a better quality of life generally. Hence the Government (led
by the Ministry of Education) has a target of 85% of 18 year olds
achieving NCEA Level 2 or equivalent qualifications by 201710.
Over the period of 2009 to 2011, New Zealand attainment levels
of NCEA steadily increased. Over the same period, the attainment
levels of NCEA at Ruapehu College fluctuated, with a significant
decrease in attainment levels from 2009 to 2010 and then an
increase again in 201111.
10
Ministry of Education website.
Student school leavers numbers for the College are relatively small compared with New
Zealand schools, this should be taken into consideration when looking at proportion changes
over the years.
11
Percentage
of leavers
with NCEA
Level 1 or
above
Percentage
of leavers
with NCEA
Level 2 or
above
Percentage
of leavers
with UE
Standard or
above
Ruapehu
College
69.0
54.8
23.8
New Zealand
(other
schools)
83.8
71.8
45.4
15
From 2009 to 2010, Ruapehu College had a marked drop in
attainment levels for school leavers. In 2009, 80% of school leavers
had attained NCEA Level 1 or above but in 2010 this dropped to
61%. In 2011, it increased to 69%, which is well below the New
Zealand attainment level of 84%.
In 2009, just over half (53%) of Ruapehu College school leavers
attained NCEA Level 2 or above. In 2010, this dropped below half
with only 41% of school leavers attaining NCEA Level 2 or above. In
2011, this rose again to a little over half (55%) attaining NCEA Level
2, which is below the national rate of 72% and well below the target
of 85% set for New Zealand to attain by 2017 .
16
Table 9: Highest Attainment of school leavers 2009 to 2011
NCEA
Level
1
NCEA
Level
2
UE
2009
Percentage
of leavers
2010
Percentage
of leavers
2011
Percentage
of leavers
Ruapehu
College
80
60.8
69
New
Zealand
79.9
82.1
83.8
Ruapehu
College
53.3
41.2
54.8
New
Zealand
66.4
68.8
71.8
Ruapehu
College
11.1
5.9
23.8
New
Zealand
41.1
42.2
45.4
Ruapehu College school leavers in 2009 attaining University
Entrance (UE) standard or above was a low 11% (compared with
41% nationally). Similar to the other results for Ruapehu College in
2010 there was a drop in the percentage of school leavers leaving
with UE, down to 6%. In 2011 this rose to just under a quarter (24%)
of all school leavers. Whilst this was a positive increase it is still
below the national rate of 45%.
NCEA Level 2 attainment levels for School leavers, broken down by
ethnicity, show a marked drop for Māori students from 2009 to 2010
(dropping from 50% to 34%). This compared with a slight drop for
non-Māori over the same period (dropping from 58% to 56%) 12.
In 2011, proportions of Māori and Non-Māori students leaving school
with NCEA Level 2 or above increased. But Māori rates of attainment
are well below Pākehā (46% compared with 75% respectively).
12
Other ethnic groups have been omitted from this because the numbers were too low.
% of Ruapehu College school leavers with NCEA
Level 2 by ethnic group
75%
50%
57.9%
56.3%
46.4%
34.3%
2009
Māori
2010
European/Pākehā
2011
Key Observations
Two key opportunities for positive transformation were identified
from the above information:
1. Increase Numeracy & Literacy Attainment – children’s literacy
and numeracy attainment at the primary school level is low
and in some cases very low. This is a major concern for the
communities and whānau.
2. Increase school leavers attaining NCEA Level 2 or above
–secondary school pupils are leaving school without the
qualifications to pursue further training or employment
opportunities. According to the Ministry of Education, the
minimum qualification required to continue further education
and to progress in working life (or life generally) is NCEA Level 2.
Education measures
For the key opportunities above, the following measures have been
identified to monitor progress over time.
Opportunities
Increase
Numeracy
and Literacy
Attainment
Increase
School leavers
attaining
NCEA Level 2
or above
To Measure
National
Standards
attainment
NCEA
Attainment
levels over
time
17
Employment
Personal Incomes
In 2006, the median income (half of the population earned more
and half earned less) for an adult 13 in the Ruapehu District was
$21,100. This was slightly less than the national median of $24,400.
In the Ruapehu Rohe, Raetihi had the lowest median income at
$19,100, Ohākune had a median similar to the national median of
$24,700 and Waiouru had a higher median income than the other
communities, the district and the national amount at $29,900.
18
In line with the median income figures, Raetihi had relatively high
proportions of people aged 15 and over who earn $20,000 or less a
year (over half or 52%). Ohākune had 42% and Waiouru just under a
third (32%) earn $20,000 or less.
In Raetihi, 10% of those aged 15 and over had an annual income of
more than $50,000, in Ohākune it was 18% and in Waiouru it was
21%. This compared with 13% for the Ruapehu District and 18% of
people throughout New Zealand.
55.3% of Māori aged 15 years and older in Raetihi had an annual
income of $20,000 or less, in Ohākune it was 55.1% of Māori and
in Waiouru 34.8% of Māori. Both Raetihi and Ohākune had higher
proportions than the national Māori proportion of 48.3%.
The proportion of Māori earning more than $50,000 annually in
Raetihi was 7.8%. This was similar to Māori in the Ruapehu District
(7.4%). Both Ohākune and Waiouru proportions of Māori earning
over $50,000 per year (11.6% and 17.9% respectively) were higher
than the national Māori rate of 10.2%
13
Those aged 15 years and over – 2006 Census
% of Ruapehu Rohe population earning $20,000
or less
42%
Ohākune
52.2%
31.6%
Raetihi
Waiouru
Unemployment
In 2006, the unemployment rate for the Ruapehu District was 5.0%
(similar to the national rate of 5.1%14).
Māori were slightly less likely to be unemployed in the Ruapehu
District compared with Māori in all of New Zealand (9.9%
unemployment in Ruapehu compared with 11% unemployment
nationally).
In the Ruapehu Rohe, unemployment rates for all those aged 15
years and over varied across the three communities from 1.6% in
Waiouru, to 3.7% in Ohākune and a higher 8.5% in Raetihi.
“There’s 300 – 400 jobs up there (the mountain) every year
and in recent years the local applicants have decreased.”
– Community Reference Group member, October 2012
The unemployment rate for Māori in Waiouru was only slightly
higher than the unemployment for all residents (2.7% compared
with 1.6% respectively). But both were still relatively low
(presumably a reflection of high level of employment in the Army at
the time).
The unemployment rate for Māori in Ohākune was significantly
higher than the unemployment for all residents (10.3% compared
with 3.7%). And Raetihi had an unemployment rate for Māori of
11.2%, higher than the 8.5% for all residents in the community.
14
This unemployment rate is derived from the 2006 Census, not from the Household Labour
Force Survey (HLFS) which is the official source of the unemployment rate HLFS does not allow
a geographical breakdown to the area units we need of Raetihi, Waiouru and Ohākune.
From the employers point of view rather than a lack of jobs, the
major problems in the Rohe are lack of confidence and lack of
the ‘right capability’ for the job. If someone is eager to work,
willing to learn and has the ability to pick things up relatively
quickly, then employers are willing to give them a go. Often
they just need a chance to meet each other.
– Community Reference Group Hui, February 2013.
“Need to connect up supply and demand.”
– Community Reference Group member, October 2012
19
Entrepreneurs
Whilst the majority of those employed were ‘paid employees’
(with 80% in Raetihi, 78% in Ohākune and 98% in Waiouru) in the
three communities, there was some entrepreneurism across the
Rohe. 10.6% of the Ruapehu Rohe were ‘employers of others or
self-employed’ in 2006 compared with 19.6% nationally. Further
breakdown of the Rohe figure shows pockets of entrepreneurship
in the area –Raetihi 15%, Ohākune 20% and Waiouru 2%
Entrepreneurism (Employers & Self Employed)
20.3%
15%
10.6%
2.0%
Ohākune
Raetihi
Waiouru
Ruapehu Rohe
Industry
20
The three largest employing industries across the Ruapehu District
in 2006 were Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (24% compared with
7% nationally), Public Administration & Safety (12% compared with
4% nationally) and Retail Trade (9% compared with 10% nationally).
In the Ruapehu Rohe, Public Administration and Safety was by
far the largest employer (32.1%), this was heavily influenced by
the Army base in Waiouru where 64.8% of those employed in the
Waiouru community are employed in this industry. Construction
was the next largest employing industry in Waiouru (11.6%) and
then Accommodation and Food Service (5.5%).
Nearly a quarter of people employed in Raetihi are employed
in the primary industry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
(24.8%). The next largest employing industry for Raetihi in 2006
was Manufacturing (15%), followed equally by Retail Trade and
Education & Training (8.3%).
There are no such dominate industries in Ohākune as compared
with the other communities. The largest employing industry was
Manufacturing (14.7%), followed closely by Accommodation and
Food Service (13.6%) and Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (11.5%).
Some of the largest employers in the area are Winstones Pulp
International (WPI) – Earnslaw One, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts
and New Zealand Defence Force (Waiouru Army Base) and
the Market gardens. – Ngāti Rangi Trust, Think Tank material,
September 2011
Many employment opportunities in the area are seasonal
and in the past people would navigate their way through
the seasons, from working on the mountain or in the many
accommodation and food service jobs in the winter, to the
market gardens and shearing in the summer. These days
people seem reluctant to work in seasonal employment
because of the perceived risk to benefits and the stress of
securing employment (or perceived lack of stability) all while
having bills to pay and whānau to support.
– Community Reference Group, December 2012
“People seem to have turned away from seasonal
employment” – Major Employer, October 2012
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
In the Ruapehu Rohe (of Raetihi, Ohākune and Waiouru,) 29% of
those aged 15 years and over held no formal qualifications (this
was slightly higher than the national proportion of 25%). Across the
three communities, Raetihi had 45%, Ohākune 30% and Waiouru
13% of adults with no formal qualifications.
“ Need a database with local employers and skills that are
required….link with the College.”
– Community Reference Group member, July 2012
“Many of the jobs advertised are for unskilled…but not getting
any applicants. Why don’t people apply for jobs?”
– Major Employer, July 2012
Ohākune
Raetihi
Labourers
Machinery Operators
and Drivers
Sales Workers
Clerical and
Administrative
Community and
Personal Service
Workforce capability
Technicians and
Trades Workers
0%
Professionals
In 2006, the most common occupational group differed across the
three communities. In Waiouru over half (51.5%) of those employed
were in the occupational group ‘Community & Personal Service
workers’ – presumably the relevant category for the New Zealand
Defence Force workers on and around the Army Base. In Ohākune
21.2 % of those employed were in the ‘Managers’ occupational
group (a category that included ‘Farmers’ in 2006). In Raetihi the
most common occupational group was ‘Labourers’, with 28% of
those employed in this category.
Most Common Occupations in Ruapehu Rohe, 2006
Managers
Occupations
Waiouru
21
22
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Ohākune
Raetihi
Waiouru
Postgraduate
Qualifications
Bachelors or Level 7
Qualifications
0%
Post-School
Certificates and
Diplomas
‘Bachelors’ and ‘Post-graduate’ qualifications for the Rohe overall
(6% and 2% respectively) were slightly lower than the national rates
of 11% for Bachelors and 5% for Post-graduate qualifications as the
highest formal qualifications held. In Waiouru and Ohākune 7% of
adults held a Bachelors or equivalent qualification as their highest
qualification. In Raetihi it was 4% of adults.
60%
School
qualification
25% of adults across the Rohe held a ‘post-school certificate or
diploma’ as their highest qualification, similar to the national rate of
24%. Further breakdown of this to the communities shows similar
proportions (Waiouru 23%, Raetihi 23% and Ohākune 29%).
Highest qualification (15 years and over), 2006
No qualification
The Ruapehu Rohe had 38% of adults with a ‘school’ qualification
as their highest qualification (in 2006). In Waiouru over half of the
adults (51%) held a school qualification as their highest qualification.
In Ohākune 31% and Raetihi 26% of adults held a ‘school’
qualification as their highest qualification.
Rohe
Post-graduate qualifications as a highest qualification were all similarly
low proportions (Waiouru 3%, Ohākune 2% and Raetihi 0.5%).
Major employers talked about the difficulty of finding staff with
the right capacity. With high proportions of the working age
population having no or little formal qualifications it can be
hard for employers to find workers with the right capacity in the
right place therefore difficult getting local workers in local jobs.
– Community Reference Group, February 2013
One major employer has a high proportion of staff nearing
retirement, which means they need to look for a capable
workforce to fill a lot of positions in the next 5-10 years. Often
it is easier to find ‘out of towners’ to fill certain positions
because they have the right skills needed for the job and
require little training. But employers are willing to train local
people for the local jobs – if they want them.
– Major Employer, September 2012
“Local staff, who return year after year are better than
transitional workers (international or otherwise)”
– Major Employer, October 2012
Key Observations
Two key opportunities for positive transformation were identified
from the above information:
1. Connect local jobs & local workers – one major employer
has an ageing workforce, another employer can not attract
enough locals to work for them and yet there are people in
the community who are unemployed and others who are not
earning enough to support themselves let alone their whānau.
2. Local workforce has the right capacity – there are local jobs
available in the area but locals are not applying for them.
Employers need a workforce who are willing to learn, and who
have the right skills and capacity. They would prefer to employ
local workers.
Employment measures
For the key opportunities above, the following measures have
been identified to monitor progress over time. Some indicators
will require information beyond that which is available from official
sources.
Opportunities
Connect local
jobs and local
workers
Local
workforce
has the right
capacity
To Measure
Unemployment
data
Local vacancies
filled by local
workers
Qualification
data
23
Housing
In 2006, the Census figures showed a total of 1,962 dwellings in the
Ruapehu Rohe of Raetihi, Ohākune and Waiouru15.
24
Around 60% (1,167) of the houses were occupied at the time of
the 2006 Census (which is conducted in March, outside of the busy
winter season) and a total of 795 houses (or 40%) were unoccupied.
At this time of year there were greater proportions of unoccupied
houses in Ohākune than Raetihi and Waiouru (56.3% compared
with 24% and 24.1% respectively). This is indicative of the time of
year and the proximity to the mountain. There are many chalets and
holiday homes that are only occupied in the winter season, when
the mountain is open but kept empty for the rest of the year.
In 2006, 46.8% of the Ruapehu District owned their own home,
this compared with 54.5% nationally. In the Ruapehu Rohe home
ownership varied.
15
2012 figures from the New Zealand Post show a total of 3,231 addresses across the Ruapehu
Rohe communities including 1,839 in Ohākune, 878 in Raetihi and 514 in Waiouru (100 in
Waiouru and 414 in the Military Camp).
More and more holiday homes/chalets in Ohākune are left
empty for the majority of the year (only being used for a few
weeks in the winter), meaning there are less homes for rent in
the winter. Community Reference Group, July 2012
“$18,000 is the average income from house rental over the
winter season”
– Property owner Ohākune, July 2012
“People from out of town buy the house... families in houses
that are damp as and the families get sick all the time”
– Community Reference group member, December 2012
Half (50%) of the occupied private households in Raetihi were owned
by the occupants (with or without a mortgage). A further 10% of
households were living in a home they held in a Family Trust and 4 in
every 10 houses were not owned by the people living in them.
Home ownership, 2006
Raetihi
Ohākune
Waiouru
In Ohākune, 39% of households owned the house they were living in.
Nearly half (49%) of the households were not owned by the people
living in them. This is reflective of the high number of holiday homes/
chalets in the area. 12% of households were living in the home that
was held in a family trust.
In 2006, Waiouru had only 10% of households who owned their own
home. This is reflective of the large Army residence in the area and
the majority of them (and their whānau) living in Army properties .
89% of residents in Waiouru were renting their homes. Only 1% of
households were living in a house that was held in a family trust.
Held in Family Trust
Not Owned
Owned or Partly Owned
The majority of rental accommodation, in 2006, in Raetihi and
Ohākune was owned by the private sector (85% and 73% respectively).
Some of our whānau get kicked out of their homes over the
winter because the landlords can earn more money from the
winter tourist.
– Community Reference Group member, December 2012.
25
Lots of whānau are living in rental accommodation that is
of very low quality. They have little or no insulation, poor
heating and are very damp and mouldy, unhealthy homes. This
includes the Housing New Zealand houses.
– Community Reference Group, December 2012
“Because lots of the landlords are out of towners they don’t
really care about the quality of the houses.”
– Community Reference Group member, December 2012
Ohākune had around 12% of the rental properties owned by the
State (State-Owned Corporations, State-owned organisations,
Government departments or Ministries other than Housing New
Zealand). Due to the rural location of the community many State
organisations have guaranteed rental accommodation for staff.
In Waiouru the State owned around 9 in every 10 rental properties
(92% or 243 dwellings). This reflects the high number of Army
houses.
As of January 2013, Housing New Zealand Corporation had 10 state
rentals in Raetihi, 15 in Ohākune and none in Waiouru.
26
In 2006, the average price of a rental in Ohākune was $129, in
Raetihi it was $116 and in Waiouru $89. In the Ruapehu District the
average rent was $105 (which was less than half of the national
$225). Data from the Department of Building and Housing for the
period of December 2012 to May 2013 showed the average rent
in the Ruapehu District was $178 (this was for a 3 bedroom house,
which was the most common rental property), less than half of the
average rent nationally for a three bedroom house ($362).
According to the Whanganui District Health Board’s Māori Health
Plan 2012-2013, 11% of the population in Ruapehu16 live in
overcrowded households (most of the households being Māori).
This compares with 7% in the Rangitikei and 8% in the Whanganui
territorial authority areas.
“State houses are in a state where they have to be pulled down
or replaced”
– Community Reference Group member, December 2012
16
Ruapehu area under the boundaries of the Whanganui District Health Board includes the
Ruapehu territorial authority area wards of Waimarino and Waiouru, known as South Ruapehu.
Landlords of Rentals in Ruapehu Rohe, 2006
Other State-Owned
Enterprise
Housing New
Zealand
Local Authority or
City Council
Private Person, Trust
or Business
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Waiouru
Raetihi
Ohākune
Due to the right-sizing of the Military Camp, the housing
stock is decreasing in Waiouru. In February 2013 of the
approximately 244 houses of the New Zealand Army 28% were
vacant. A number of houses have been removed from Waiouru,
relocated to different parts of the country (being sold on the
open market). There are also a number of houses marked for
removal in the future.
– Community Reference Group member, March 2013
Key Observations
Two key opportunities for positive transformation were identified
from the above information:
1. Increase available houses to rent – there are high numbers of
unoccupied homes in parts of the Ruapehu Rohe and this is
increasing with the growing number of holiday homes being
left vacant for the majority of the year. Some whānau are
unable to rent property in the winter as landlords would rather
rent in a much higher price-range, to winter tourists. Removal
of State-owned properties continues to rise meaning less
housing available for locals.
Opportunities
Increase
available
houses to rent
Increase the
% of healthy
homes
Unoccupied
vs. Occupied
To Measure
homes
Quality of
housing stock
Housing
Tenure &
Landlord
information
2. Increase the % of healthy homes – many of our whānau are
living in unhealthy homes. Both privately owned and stateowned housing stock is generally of low quality.
Housing measures
Some measures have been identified to monitor progress over
time for the key Housing opportunities. Due to the limitations in
accessing current Housing data to the level and of the coverage
we required, an independent collection of community housing
information or a ‘Housing Needs Survey’ is recommended.
27
Health
Health Snapshot
Isolating data for the Ruapehu Rohe from Whanganui District Health
Board (Whanganui DHB) administrative data sources proved very
difficult. For the most part the health information we received was
for the whole Whanganui DHB population.
28
Based on data for 2010-2011 the leading causes of avoidable
hospitalisation for the both Māori and Non-Māori in the Whanganui
DHB area (which includes the Ruapehu Rohe of Raetihi, Ohākune
and Waiouru) were similar. Asthma and dental conditions were
more of an issue for Māori than Non-Māori when it came to
avoidable hospitalisation. For Non-Māori gastroenteritis was also a
major cause of non-Māori avoidable hospitalisations.
For young people living in the Whanganui DHB area the leading
causes of hospitalisation for 0 -4 years was similar for Māori and
Non-Māori (respiratory infections, dental conditions, gastrooesophageal reflux disease and health issues related to length of
gestation and fetal growth).
For those children aged 5 – 14 years in the Whanganui DHB the
leading causes of hospitalisation were again the same for Māori and
Non-Māori and included:
Leading Causes of Avoidable Hospitalisation 2010–20111
Māori
Non-Māori
WDHB
New Zealand
Dental Conditions
Respiratory
infection
Cellulitis
Cellulitis
Angina & Chest
Pain
Angina
Asthma
COPD 17
Respiratory
infection
Asthma
Angina & Chest
Pain
Angina
Gastroenteritis
Respiratory
infections
Cellulitis
Cellulitis
Respiratory
Road traffic injuries
Upper Respiratory
ENT infections
- Dental conditions
- ENT infections
- Respiratory conditions
17
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
“Mothers have to go to Whanganui by themselves as Dad’s on
shift work”
– Community Reference Group member, December 2012
- Persons encountering health services for specific procedures
and health care (this could include services such as follow-up
care after surgery).
For the older people in the Whanganui DHB the leading causes for
hospitalisation were respiratory infections, COPD and ischaemic
heart disease (this was similar for both Māori and non-Māori).
Immunisation rate for children in the Whanganui DHB were 72.5%
for Māori and 74.9% for Non-Māori. In 2010 Plunket reported for
65% of the total live births registered to mothers in the Ruapehu
District 18. Of the children receiving Wellchild services from Plunket
in the Ruapehu District 16% were fully immunised (this compares
with 85% nationally for Plunket client families). Over half (55%) of
the children had incomplete immunisation (this compared with
12% nationally) and a further 29% of children were not immunised
as their parents had made an informed decision (only 2% of Plunket
families nationally made this same decision).
For both Māori and Non-Māori in the Whanganui DHB the leading
causes of avoidable mortality were Ischaemic heart disease, lung
cancer and suicide.
Diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were
also major causes for Māori. While colorectal cancer and breast
cancer (females only) were also major causes for Non-Māori.
The leading causes of death for those over 65 years was similar for
Māori and non-Māori and included:
- Ischaemic heart disease
- Lung cancer
- Stroke
- Colorectal cancer and COPD.
“Asthma and bronchitis are big issues for our kids”
– Local Health provider, December 2012
Access & Availability
Health service providers in the area include the Whanganui DHB
Rural Health Centre and services based in Raetihi and Ohākune
(under Te Oranganui Iwi Health Authority).
We should be working together better and if our whānau
need help we help them, no matter who they go to. Not just
help the ones that are necessarily registered with us.
– Local Health provider, December 2012
29
There are also Māori health providers contracted by the Whanganui
DHB:
- Ngāti Rangi Community Health Centre in Ohākune,
- Te Puke Karanga Hauora in Raeithi and
- Te Oranganui Iwi Health Authority, district wide.
The Whanganui DHB also provides the following services for the
residents of the Ruapehu Rohe (not necessarily based locally):
- Whanganui Hospital, Inpatient, Mental Health, Community and
Public Health services
-Aged related care and community support services
- Community mental health services
- Whanganui hospice
- Youth health services
18
Ruapehu District has other providers of WellChild services in the area also but no data was
made available for a full analysis.
The National Haoura Coalition (under Te Oranganui Iwi Health
Authority) covers residents through the rural practice at Ohākune
and many residents come under the Whanganui Regional PHO
through the different General Practioners (GP) practices.
Whilst there seem to be a lot of health services provided in the
area many providers are not actually based in the rohe (usually
based in the bigger centre’s like Whanganui) and we might see
them once a year if we’re lucky.
– Community Reference Group, December 2012
Information received from the Ministry of Health for the year
ended June 2012, showed over 20 different health programmes
and services were funded in the Ruapehu Rohe (including Raetihi,
Ohākune and Waiouru) and the Waimarino area ward (included
in the Ruapehu area for the Whanganui DHB) . This ranges from
GP services through to Meals on Wheels, Auahi Kore Quit smoking
programmes to Nutrition and Physical activity programmes. At
least 11 different health providers are contracted to provide these
services and programmes.
There seem to be quite a lot of health providers but they seem
to work in their silo’s, not talking to each other.
– Community Reference Group, December 2012
The GP clinic that operated in Waiouru is no longer available for
non-army personnel. Ohākune GP service is limited to certain days
of the week. Raetihi GP service register is at capacity
There’s a lot of health funding supposedly coming into the area
as well as a lot of health programmes but our people don’t see
anyone and don’t know about them.
– Community Reference Group Hui, March 2013
30
“Biggest concern amongst young parents is the lack of access
to GP on Friday, Saturday, Sunday”
– Community Reference Group member, December 2012
The Health providers based in the Rohe have limited hours and for
after hour care from specific GP a patient must generally be registered
with the GP.
One of the key health issues 19 for the Whanganui DHB for 2012 –
2013 is ‘Access to Services’.
“Access is an issue, including location and cost”
– Community Reference Group member, December 2012
Money / cost is major issue for our people when it comes to
health. Some families are scared to call the ambulance because
of the cost. – Local Health Provider, December 2012
Access and availability of health services is a major problem
in the area. Many services are based out of Whanganui (over
an hour away) and so cost and time play a major part in
accessibility of health services for our community.
– Community Reference Group, December 2012
19
Local Indicator number 2 from the Whanganui DHB Maori Health Plan 2012-2013
Key Observations
Two key opportunities for positive transformation identified from
the above information are:
1. Increase availability and access to local services – access to
health services is a major concern to whānau in the Ruapehu
Rohe. Local GP services have decreased over recent years,
making it harder for whānau to access health advice in a timely
manner. Whilst services are offered by heath providers in
Whanganui, often it is too costly for whānau to travel.
2. Collaborate across service providers – there seem to be a
number of different providers and programmes available for
whānau but either through lack of information or engagement
whānau still seem to be missing out on services.
Health measures
For the key Health opportunities, measures have been identified
to monitor progress towards transformation. Gathering health
information was very difficult, particularly isolating the specific areas
we were focussed on. It is recommended that the service providers
in this area establish some of their own information gathering
processes that would feed into future indicators for monitoring in
this area.
Opportunities
Increase
availability
and access to
local services
Colloborate
across service
providers
Number, type &
hours of locally
To Measure
based services
Whānau
satisfaction
with health
provision
Engagement
by whānau
with service
providers
31
Social
Deprivation Index
The New Zealand Index of Deprivation (NZDep06) provides a
numerical rating (from 1 to 10) of the social economic status of
an area. It is an index made up of indicators from the Census
and components include: levels of home ownership, household
income, prevalence of income support, unemployment, soleparenting, house overcrowding, lack of access to motor vehicles and
telecommunications and low educational attainment.
32
“Poverty is a spirit, not necessarily in the pocket. It is a spirit”
– Kuia, Ohākune July 2012
“Are we becoming a welfare state?”
– Community Reference Group member, October 2012
The NZDep06 divides New Zealand into equal tenths, where the
higher the score the more deprived an area is (e.g. a score of 10
indicates a geographical area is in the most deprived 10% of all of
New Zealand).
Ruapehu rohe – Benefits June 201220
According to the NZDep2006 index, Raetihi and Ohākune are
areas of high deprivation scores (9 and 8 respectively). Waiouru’s
deprivation score was 6.
Benefits
Information was received from the Ministry of Social Development
(Work and Income) for the period of June 2008 to June 2012. It
showed that at June 2012, 254 people across the communities of
the Ruapehu Rohe (Raetihi, Ohākune and Waiouru) aged between
18 and 64 years were receiving a benefit or income support from the
government. This was up 11% from June 2008.
The majority of beneficiaries in the Rohe were receiving DPB related
benefits (37%). Nearly a quarter (24%) of beneficiaries were receiving
sickness benefits and 23% were receiving the invalids benefit.
WB
DPB related
UB related
SB related
IB
EB
20
Domestic Purposes Benefit related (DPB related), Unemployment Benefit related (UB related),
Sickness Benefit related (SB related), Widow’s Benefit (WB), Invalid’s Benefit (IB), Emergency
Benefit (EB)
Table 10: Total benefit numbers and proportion of those beneficiaries on the DPB, SB and IB – 2010 to 2012
As @ June 2010
As @ June 2011
As @ June 2012
Total
Beneficiaries
% on DPB, SB
& IB
Total
Beneficiaries
% on DPB, SB
& IB
Total
Beneficiaries
% on DPB, SB
& IB
Raetihi
122
86.1%
140
80.0%
129
86.8%
Ohākune
98
87.8%
123
78.0%
115
81.7%
Waiouru
13
46.2%
11
63.6%
10
70.0%
With the exception of Waiouru in 2010, the majority of beneficiaries
in the three communities are on either the Domestic Purposes
Benefit, the Sickness Benefit or the Invalids Benefit.
Just over 7 out of 10 beneficiaries in the rohe (Raetihi, Ohākune
and Waiouru) are Māori. Nearly a quarter (24%) of beneficiaries are
European and 4% of beneficiaries affiliate to an ethnicity ‘other’ than
Māori or European.
Unemployment benefit numbers often fluctuate due to policy
changes rather than changes in employment opportunities.
Often the indicator of a communities dependency (on welfare)
are the numbers of people on the Domestic Purposes Benefit
(DPB), Sickness Benefit(SB) and Invalids Benefit(IB). These
people are less likely to go off the benefit or stop receiving
income support if some employment opportunities arise. Social Service provider, July2012
Ruapehu Rohe Beneficiaires by ethnicity 2012
Pacific Island
0%
Other
4%
Unspecified
1%
NZ European
24%
Maori
71%
33
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
June-08
June-09
June-10
June-11
WB
UBT
related
UB
related
SB
related
Actual beneficiaries numbers were very low for Waiouru, so a
detailed breakdown has been omitted for confidentiality purposes.
IB
0
EB
In Raetihi the number of people receiving DPB related benefits is
greater than in Ohākune, but has been declining over time. The
number of people receiving the Invalids benefit has stayed generally
the same but the numbers of people on the sickness benefit has
been increasing over the period of June 2008 to June 2012.
Ohākune Benefit numbers, 2008 - 2012
DPB
related
In Ohākune over the period of June 2008 to June 2011 the number
of people receiving DPB related benefits increased, as at June 2012
the number had decreased slightly. There was a similar trend in
the Invalid benefit numbers. The sickness benefit numbers have
increased in 2012 compared to the previous years.
June-12
34
Raetihi Benefit numbers, 2008 - 2012
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
June-08
June-09
June-10
June-11
June-12
WB
UBT
related
UB
related
SB
related
IB
EB
DPB
related
0
Crime
Total offences in the Ruapehu District increased from June 2006
through to June 2011 and then saw a decline in recorded offences
from June 2011 to June 2012.
In the communities of Ohākune and Waiouru offending increased
from June 2006 to June 2010 but has since started to decline (from
June 2010 to June 2012). In Raetihi the fluctuation in offending
numbers has been minimal over the time period of June 2006 to
June 2012, although there is the beginning of a declining trend from
June 2011 to June 2012.
Total Offences - Raetihi, Ohākune, Waiouru
500
400
300
200
100
0
FY 06/07
The ‘Top 6 offences’21 have fluctuated in recorded numbers over the
period of 2006/07 to 2011/12. All offences saw a decline in recorded
numbers from June 2011 to June 2012, except ‘Illiciting drug
offences’ which increased by 32% over the period.
‘Theft and related offences’ have the highest recorded offence
figures of any offences, in the Ruapehu District’, over the period of
2006/07 to 2011/12.
FY 07/08
Raetihi
FY 08/09
Ohakune
FY 09/10
FY 10/11
FY 11/12
Waiōuru
35
Top 6 recorded offences - Ruapehu District
500
400
300
“Small things make a difference……..Raetihi had 52%
reduction (in domestic violence). Ohākune 32% reduction”
– Community Reference Group member, in reference to the
impact of the Kaitoko Whānau work in the area, July 2012
200
100
0
2006/07
Top 6 offences as defined by the Ruapehu Whānau Transformation project by the highest
number of offences in the Ruapehu District.
21
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
Acts intended to cause injury
Unlawful entry with
intent/burglary, break and enter
Theft and related offences
Illicit drug offences
Property damage and
environmental pollution
Public order offences
2011/12
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
36
Half (50%) of the households in Ohākune had access to the internet
in 2006. Four in every ten households (or 41%) in Raetihi and six in
every ten households (62%) in Waiouru had access to the internet.
This is projected to be much higher in 2013 and will not only include
access from the home but household access to the internet through
mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Ohākune
Raetihi
Access to the
Internet
Access to a Fax
For the communities of the Ruapehu Rohe , both Ohākune and
Raetihi had 81% of households with access to telephones, only
slightly higher than the 79% of Waiouru households.
Access to a
Telephone
0%
22
Access to a
Cellphone
In 2006, 84% of households in the Ruapehu District had access
to a telephone (below the 92% of New Zealand households who
had access to a telephone). 48% of households in the District had
access to the internet and 63% had access to a cellphone (this
compared with 61% and 74% respectively for New Zealand). 6% of
the households in the District had no access to telecommunications
compared to 2% of New Zealand houesholds.
Access to Telecommunications, 2006
No Access
Telecommunications
Waiouru
Households with access to cellphones (or mobile phones) in the
Ruapehu Rohe was high (with 77% in Ohākune, 72% in Raetihi and
85% in Waiouru).
There were still homes in the Rohe, in 2006, with no access to
telecommunications systems. 4% of households in Ohākune, 6% in
Raetihi and 2% in Waiouru.
22
Telecommunication information for the Ruapehu Rohe (including Raetihi, Ohākune &
Waiouru) sourced from the 2006 Meshblock dataset. May differ slightly from 2006 Quickstarts
About a Place.
There is a real lack of community spaces for people to come
together and connect.
– Community Reference Group, December 2012
Te Reo MAori – MAori language
“The expression of, & respect for, cultural practices, languages &
beliefs is part of a socially cohesive society23”
In 2006, 12% of the total Ruapehu District population could hold a
conversation in te reo māori, higher than the 4% of New Zealand.
27% of Māori living in the Ruapehu District could kōrero (speak) te
reo Māori, slightly higher than the 24% of Māori in New Zealand.
In the Ruapehu Rohe, 11% of Ohākune, 17% of Raetihi and 10% of
Waiouru total populations could kōrero te reo Māori.
Only have three kaumatua (elders) that are fluent in te reo
māori, still living in our rohe. We need to support greater te reo
māori development.
– Ngāti Rangi Trust, Think Tank material, September 2011
Those [Māori] kids that attend kura kaupapa in the area
generally achieve more at college than the [Māori] kids who
come through the mainstream system.
– Ngāti Rangi Trust, November 2012
23
Measuring New Zealand's Progress Using Sustainable Development: 2008, Statistics New
Zealand
% of Total Population who can speak te reo Māori
2006
11%
Ohākune
17%
Raetihi
10%
Waiouru
Key Observations
The two key opportunities identified for positive transformation
from the information above are:
1. Stronger Whānau - the area has some high deprivation and
proportions of the community dependent on benefits from
the government. The community want to support whānau
transition from being dependent on the government to being
inter-dependent, on each other within the community, and on
towards strengthening whānau resilience and independence.
2. Connected, cohesive, collaborating communities – different
social factors, including crime, affect the social cohesion
of communities. Raetihi, Ohākune and Waiouru are unique
communities and woven together they are even more special.
“We need to protect the communities that we have. They are
unique. We need to be proud of what we have, need to protect
what we have”
– Community Reference Group member, December 2012
37
Social Measures
Measures have been identified to monitor progress towards
transformation for the identified opportunities. Some information
beyond the data available from official sources will be required.
Opportunities
Stronger
Whānau
Connected,
cohesive,
collaborating
communities
Benefit
numbers
To Measure
(including type)
Recorded
Crime offences
(by district &
townships)
Opportunities
for community
celebration
Whānau
engagement in
social activities
38
Conclusion
The data in this report is incomplete but provides a starting base to
implement reasonable pathways for transformation. Any ‘Solutions’
developed in the Ruapehu Whānau Transformation Plan should
incorporate components (or methods) for gathering more current
data for the community across the five key focus areas of Education,
Employment, Housing, Health and Social.
The wider opportunity is around developing a stronger information
infrastructure as the solutions are implemented. For example, the
‘Housing Needs Survey’ should provide an indepth current stocktake
of housing in the rohe (filling any housing information gaps), future
housing aspirations and will create a long-term housing information
framework.
The recommended measures at the conclusion of each section (as
summarised in the Executive Summary) should be seen as a start.
Further community and whānau measures should be developed as
the Solutions are implemented.
Information in this report should be updated once the 2013 Census
data becomes available and other data sources are updated.
A full list of references can be found at www.kahuimaunga.com
39
40
For more information contact
Ngāti Rangi Office:
[email protected]
DESIGN: CLUSTER CREATIVE
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